Confessions
by Hopeful Writer
Summary: Cody is trying to get up the nerve to ask Kari to a dance, but Davis's threats scare him. Can TK and his younger brother, Lucas, help him pull through? Hiori (yeah, that just gave it away, but I don't care. Just read).


Disclaimer: (**In _imaginary_ court, said by my _imaginary_ lawyer**) Softball Chicks agrees to give up all ownership of Digimon to Toei Animation. She will no longer own them, so she will have to write fan fictions on line that will not get her any money.  
(**now on Ff.net, said by me**) I don't own Digimon. That's a ridiculous concept. If I owned Digimon, this would be an episode, along with all my other sappy, romantic, sick, twisted, etc. ideas. Get it? I don't own Dream Street, either, but I love them, especially Matt.  
(**Exception**) I _do_ own Sara, Michele, Chasiti, Lucas, and Christa, so don't take them, okay? Cody went from having no siblings to having five.

A/N - This is not the first time I've done this couple. Just to point something out, I'm a diehard Takari fan. I just write Hiori on the side. I think it's a cute couple and I really hate it when people say it's not possible. No one seems to think that Cody is capable of a real relationship. There is also some Taiora, which I am famous for (yeah, I'm famous. Right, I wish). WARNING: There is so much Davis bashing in here. If you're a Davis fan (and I happen to like him, but it made the story), back out now unless you don't mind a little bashing. By the way, Dream Street is the best band in the whole world, and Matt is _so_ gorgeous. Now a word from our Digimon characters. 

Kari: Honestly, couldn't you have come up with a more interesting couple?  
Cody: What's more interesting than us? I mean, this is seriously funny.  
TK: Funny for whom? I get to be your messenger boy. Don't think so.  
HW: Like it or not, _I_ like Hiori, so get used to it, boys and girls. And, Kari, this is an interesting couple.  
Davis: Well, I, for one, don't like it. You made my character a major jerk. And that little pip-squeak is with Kari.  
Cody: Hey!  
Kari: Wait! I love this couple! And this story.  
Cody: (laughing) That's what I thought.  
HW: Davis, you are a major jerk sometimes.  
Davis: (pouting) Not all the time.  
HW: Maybe, but this made the story flow a little better. It was not my original intention. I don't hate you. In fact, I think you've got a lot of positive qualities.  
Davis: Yeah.  
HW: But, I'm not showing any.

A/N - That's all from the characters. Sorry I babbled. On to the fic. 

**__**

Confessions (shut up, I know it's corny!)

By: Hopeful Writer (that's me!)

"Tai! Come on. We're bored."

I smiled up at my best friend and her brother. Kari Kamiya was tapping her foot anxiously, while her older brother, Tai, was dribbling a soccer ball closer to the goal. "You're a pain!" he cried, booting the ball so it sailed past his girlfriend, Sora Tachenouchi, in goal.

"Four to three, Tai," she told him happily. "I'm still winning."

"Go, Sora!" I cheered. She smiled at me, while Tai glared.

"Thanks a lot, Cody," he chastised. "Some friend."

"I'm not your friend; I'm Kari's," I retorted immediately. Tai and I had had this argument everyday for nearly four years, ever since Kari and I had become best friends.

"Can we go?" Kari asked, watching the debate unhappily.

"Come on, Tai," Sora agreed, picking up her jacket from the ground. 

"Easy for you to say," he grumbled, dribbling his soccer ball next to him. "You're winning."

"You bet. If I was losing, we'd still be playing."

"Oh, boy. Come on, Cody. Let's ditch the girls and go pick up some _real_ babes." I snickered. But if looks could kill, Tai would be dead and buried under Sora's harsh stare.

Oh, but if only I could tell him. I wanted to tell him. I needed to tell him. But it would be so hard to tell Tai that I was in love with his younger sister, my best friend. Eventually, I knew the truth would leak out. So far, only one person knew: Takeru Takaishi, AKA TK. He was Kari's ex-boyfriend, and one of my closest friends. He and Kari had dated for so long, I thought I'd never get a chance to tell her how I felt. But, as fate would have it, they broke up, realizing they were better off being friends. It was one of the few relationships that actually end up with the two people being friends. TK only knew about my secret obsession because he had been spying on me for long enough to figure   
it out.

My head began to pound. I didn't realize immediately. The pain had become part of my daily life. At first, I'd gone to the doctor, who had told me the headaches were a result of an inordinate amount of stress. After that I casually "forgot" to tell my mom about any head pain I felt during the day. I knew I was under stress. I'd fix it sooner or later.

"You going to the dance tomorrow, Cody?" Kari asked, jerking me out of my thoughts.

My head snapped up, increasing the pain and causing me to feel it. "What? Oh, yeah, the dance. I don't know. I don't have anyone to go with or anything." _What a stupid answer!"_ I berated silently. _Now she's going to think I'm a total loser._

"You don't need a partner," she remarked. "You can just go to enjoy yourself. I'm sure plenty of people want to dance with you."

I fought the blush that threatened to creep up my cheeks. "Well, okay, I'll go. Can you give me a ride?"

"Tai, you're driving Cody to the dance tomorrow, too," Kari ordered.

He shrugged. "Whatever."

I stopped in front of my apartment complex, sorry to say good-bye. "See you tomorrow, Kari. Bye, Tai. Bye, Sora."

I slipped inside and was abruptly stopped by TK. "So, what's new?" he inquired. That was his way of saying, "What's new between you and Kari?"

"Nothing, TK. Still nothing." That was my way of saying, "I'm still too afraid to tell her."

"Tell her tomorrow at the dance. I'll request a song, and you guys can dance to it. Then, you can tell her how you feel."

"What song?" I wondered, now thrilled by the possibility of confessing my love to my best friend. "But so many things could go wrong, TK."

"Nothing will go wrong," he promised. "Nothing would dare go wrong. And how about… 'Dream On' by Dream Street?"

"That's great. Every time that song's on the radio, she's turns it up and sings to it. Loudly. Yeah, that'll work. Thanks, TK."

"You got it, little guy."

"I'm not little!" I exclaimed as he ran off to his apartment. 

I went to my apartment to hear the stereo on and the Dream Street CD blaring in it. "Sara! Michele! Chasiti! Turn that thing down!" I yelled, struggling to be heard over the exceptionally loud music. Sarah, Michele, and Chasiti were my younger sisters, identical triplets with long, brown hair, the same shade as mine, and mischievous blue eyes.

Lucas, my one-year-younger brother, came out of his room, hands over ears. "I've been trying to get them to shut it for a half hour. Do something! I need to study."

My five-year-older sister, Christa, joined us. "They've been goo-goo over those stupid boys ever since they got the CD," she commented dryly.

"They're not stupid!" Chasiti protested.

"So they _can_ hear us," Luke muttered. 

"They're performing at the dance tomorrow," Christa grumbled.

"Who says I'm going?" my brother retorted.

"You're going," Christa and I replied.

Sara finally turned the CD off. "You guys are _so_ lucky!" she cried. "Dream Street is performing at your school! Are you sure we can't come?"

"You can't come," I reminded, having said it twenty times the previous day and looking to break that record today.

"Please," Michele begged.

_Uh, oh,_ I thought nervously, _when they tag team their complaints, they're almost unbeatable._

But Christa put a stop to the triplets' whining. "You can't come," she reprimanded. "You're not old enough, and we don't want to be seen with our little sisters. Don't ask again."

Luke smirked. "Now beat it and don't turn on that music again. I have studying to do."

"If you let us come, we won't put it on," Chasiti bargained shrewdly.

"No, put the music on if you want," Luke said. "But don't say I never warned you."

The triplets backed away slowly. Luke could be a dangerous kid sometimes. His eyes, when he was mad, really mad, turned a distinct shade of red that should not be seen on the normally emerald-eyed boy. Even Christa walked away when Luke gave her a warning. I was the only Hida to hold his ground again Lucas.

I slept uneasily that night, tossing and turning in anxiety. My heart was pounding. What if Kari didn't feel this way? What if I was misreading signals or something? What if, worst of all, she laughed at me? How could I go on living if I knew she didn't feel that same way? By the time my alarm rang, I had reached a conclusion: sometimes knowing is worse than not knowing.

I walked through school the next day like a zombie. "Look out, dead man walking," TK teased as I shuffled into class.

"Shut up," I mumbled, spinning the dial to my locker sleepily. I yanked the door open and pulled out a few books. Slamming the door shut, I stood to get up. I then proceeded to smash my head into, of all people, Kari's locker door. "Ow, ow, ow!" I cried.

"Are you okay?" Kari asked, pushing aside some of my hair to see the bruise. I blushed as she looked carefully at the wound. "You'll live," she teased gently. I felt the blood rush to my face again.

"Thanks," I whispered, taking the chance to glance at her. She, too, was blushing brightly.

I stumbled home from school later, alone, until Davis cornered me outside my apartment building. "Look, you little punk," he began menacingly. "I don't know who you think you are, or what you think you're doing, but you better lay off my girl," he warned.

Maybe it was the lack of sleep, but I cracked. "She's not your girl, Davis. And I don't care if the whole world knows. I like her, okay? I like Kari Kamiya. If you have a problem, deal with it."

Davis gave me a weird look before he struck. He hit me over and over again. "Take it back, Cody," he ordered at one point.

"Never," I muttered through gritted teeth.

But it was Lucas who came to my rescue. "Cut it out, Davis," he demanded, swaggering up to us, fists clenched, arms at sides.

"What are you going to do, little boy?" Davis taunted.

"Stupid move," my brother remarked. His eyes glittered warningly. They were a deep shade of crimson now. Even I was scared, and Luke had never scared me before.

"Make my day," Davis offered, shoving me away and standing up cockily. "Two Hidas for the price of one."

"I'm not going to fight you," Luke told him. "I'm going to make your life miserable until you apologize."

Davis smirked. "Yeah, like that'll ever happen."

"Then maybe I will fight you," my younger brother decided. His eyes flashed a blood red, and Davis was thrown against a nearby brick wall. With that, Luke turned and left, his chin-length hair swishing as he spun around.

Pushing myself off the ground, I caught up to my brother. "What did you just do?" I demanded.

"Saved your butt," he retorted, not looking at me. "I'm sure you'll return the favor some day."

I paused and Luke walked away, leaving me staring after him in awe. Shaking my head, I walked into the apartment. Luke was busy telling everyone how Davis had jumped me, and how I'd stood up to him. When I passed, he winked at me.

"Cody!" Christa called as I trudged up to my room. "The dance is in an hour! Are you coming with us?"

"No, Tai's giving me a ride," I replied.

I dressed quickly. The dance was casual, so I was in tan slacks and a black tank top. I combed my hair neatly, parting it in the center and curving the front so it didn't cover the middle of my forehead (A/N - Can you picture that? Tell me please). Slipping a nylon jacket over my tank top, I sauntered downstairs to wait for Tai, Kari, and most likely Sora.

Ten minutes before the dance started, Tai pulled in front of my apartment and honked the horn. Spotting his car, I dashed downstairs, calling a hurried good-bye to my siblings. "Kiss Greg for me," Chasiti called.

"And Chris for me," agreed Michele.

"And Matt for me," Sara echoed.

"And the little one for me," Lucas quipped, making a face of disgust.

"Jesse?" asked Sara.

Luke shrugged and left to get ready and wait for Christa, who took forever.

I hopped into Tai's car. "Thanks for the lift," I greeted, grinning at my best friend nervously. She looked beautiful, wearing navy blue Capri pants and a sheer pink blouse with a darker pink tank top underneath.

"What happened to your eye, Cody?" she immediately asked. Instinctively, I reached up to cover the wound, but Kari pulled my hand away to get a closer look. Oh, God, with her face inches from mine, what I wouldn't have given—but, no, it wasn't possible. Not yet, at least.

"I'm fine, Kari. Luke and I got in a little fight. We were tuning out the triplets' music and, well, we got a little carried away. That's all."

I noticed Tai raise an eyebrow, but he didn't say anything, until we got out of the car. "We'll meet you guys in there," he told the girls. "I need to talk to Cody for a second."

"What's the matter?" I wondered, meeting his sincere brown eyes.

"Where'd you really get the bruise?" he demanded, just like a big brother would.

"Where do you think?" a young voice retorted. We turned to see Lucas, who had recently gotten out of Christa's car.

"Davis?" Tai answered as a question. Luke nodded. "So how'd you get away?"

"Luke saved my butt. He did something. His eyes flashed, and Davis was thrown into a wall," I admitted.

Luke smirked. "If you don't know how I did it, I won't tell you. It's not that unusual to be able to do, though. In fact, if you tried, I'm sure you could do. It's a matter of training." He spun around, hair swishing again, and left.

"That kid freaks me out," Tai muttered, shaking his head.

"He's a brave little guy," I informed him, smiling slightly. "Let's go inside, Tai, before Kari and Sora hunt us down."

"Stay away from Davis," he warned. "One more question. Are you hopelessly in love with my little sister?"

I turned a brilliant red. "Well, just a, yeah."

Tai smiled. "Thought so." He started inside. "You coming?"

"Yeah, yeah," I answered, jogging to catch up to him.

A couple hours later, the dance was nearly over. That's when I heard one of the Dream Street boys, the one I would later learn was Greg, say, "This next song is dedicated to Bobby from his pal, Peter." The boys began to sing "Dream On", and I nearly laughed. TK was Peter, and I was Bobby, from when we did a play about the Brady Bunch.

TK gave me a meaningful look, and I made my way over to Kari. She was leaning against a wall, looking almost dreamily at the couples dancing. "Want to dance?" I offered, surprising her.

"What? Sure, Cody." She seemed relieved, almost happy that I'd asked her. What could I do? I took her hand and led her out onto the dance floor. I saw TK beaming at me, then get swept away by some girl. I could tell by his widened eyes that he was excited.

I turned my full attention back to Kari, who was smiling. We swayed to the music silently. I was trying to gather my courage, but bravery had never been my strong suit. Especially when I saw Tai and Lucas holding back Davis, who was glaring menacingly at me from his full nelson. 

The song neared its close, with Frankie singing strong. Yes, I know all the guys names. I have three younger sisters who constantly work it into my head. Finally I gathered my nerve. "Kari? I know we've been best friends for a while, but, in reality, I really… really… like you."

Kari gave me an unreadable look. "You know what? I don't like you, Cody." I felt like I was going to cry. Then she smiled. "I love you."

I was in shock as she leaned down to kiss me. I savored it for a second before breaking off and running. She looked confused at first, then saw Davis race after me. Neither of us saw Luke's eyes flash again, but we both noticed Davis freeze. The fact that Luke's eyes were still crimson gave me the hint, but I ignored it. Instead, I led Kari outside.

"Kari, I love you, too," I whispered, after we'd left the building. She kissed me again, and, this time, we didn't break off so quickly.

TK laughed. "I rule!" he cried as we broke away.

"Thanks, Pete," I told him sarcastically.

Kari grinned in amusement. "So it was you who set it up."

"Cody's idea," TK defended instantly.

"What?" I exclaimed. Kari laughed and hugged closer to me. TK just rolled his eyes and left.

That night I sighed contentedly. For the first time in a long time, my head didn't hurt. In fact, I was so satisfied with myself that nothing hurt, including my heart. And my dreams were full of her, and a possible future with her.


End file.
